Sorei
Sorei (祖霊, Sorei) is an ancient Kyohi, recently revealed to be a Eimin Kyohi aswell, whom lived, unknowingly of his origin, for years within the . However, as the people around him aged and died and he remained as young as ever, he became suspicious of his background, and locked himself up in a small hut in a distant mountain range. Thousands of years later, he realized his Kyohi status and the goal he searched to attain aswell, attaining the rare Otsuge. Having gained these new powers, he wrecked disaster within , until he was caught and sentenced to the deepest level of prison, . Hundreds of years later, not a fraction of his actual punishment, he escaped, being noted as the first person to ever do so, and left Soul Society. His current whereabouts and motives are unknown. Appearance Sorei's appearance has always been an intriguing one. His body is fairly slim, concealing his actual fitness and strength, and he retains the appearance of a young man in his 20s, even after the uncountable years he has lived through. Both his hair and eyes are an unusual blue, which added to his solidarity in the Human World. His hair is also very long, reaching almost at his waist when loose, although he generally keeps it in a ponytail. It appears that he suffered from heterochromia in the past, bearing one red and one blue eye, but this affection disappeared along with the acquisition of his Otsuge. His modern outfit was changed during the time he spend in the hut, taking up the more sober clothes of a buddhist monk instead. After leaving the Human World, he took up a more traditional, japanese outfit to blend in within the Soul Society. The clothing wasn't outstandingly special or expensive, consisting of a simple hakama and kosode, kept up by a sapphire-inlaid obi, the only "abnormal" detail mixed within his clothing style back then. It should be noted that the color blue remained an important factor within the coloring of his outfits, and even his white robes where often outlined in light blue. During his most recent appearance, after his escape from prison, he seems to have adorned himself in a tight, light blue shinobi shōzoku. This stealth suit possibly hints at a new background as assassin or infiltrator. Personality History Sorei appeared thousands of year ago as a Kyohi, in the spiritual plane of . Unaware of the era, the place and even his own identity, he was brutally thrown into reality when a horde of attacked him, viewing his unusual spiritual structure as some sort of exquisite delicatessen. among them was an of superior power, whom claimed the "meal" for his own. Sorei, however, seemed unfazed by the mass of monsters that were debating over his death and, by some strange instinct, was even drawn towards the Adjuchas. Angered by Sorei's uncaring attitude, the hollow fired an enormous at the Kyohi, whom was now standing at point-blank range. Sorei didn't try to dodge nor did he cringed in fear when the spiritual blast hit him. Even more, when the Cero made contact, he seemed simply phase through Sorei's skin. This abnormal reaction made all Hollow back away slowly, but it was all futile. Sorei calmly rested his hand on the Adjuchas' forehead, and released the same Cero that had been aimed at him moments before, with such power that it erupted in a gigantic blast, incarnating every Hollow present and illuminating the endless night sky of Hueco Mundo for a moment. Of course, Sorei had questions about his status, his sudden strange abilities and his position. Yet, he somehow didn't seem to care. During the following years within Hueco Mundo, he wandered aimlessly, even though it felt like some primeval impulse was drawing him to something, guiding him to an unknown goal. He eventually arrived at the great palace of , where he was confronted by a lizard-like whom claimed to be part of an organization he called " ". The Arrancar continued to explain about how awe-inspiring his powers were, only to be struck by surprise when Sorei's person shattered and his own arm was blown off. The young Kyohi was now standing behind him, his hand positioned where only moments before the Arrancar's arm had been attached. Enraged, but also slightly amused, the Arrancar questioned how Sorei had gained access to Hollow-exclusive powers such as Cero. Sorei didn't respond, instead eying curiously how the arm was . The Arrancar grinned in response to Sorei's look, explaining how he had favored the power of regeneration above pure strength, isolating him from the other "unwise" Espada. He then plunged his into Sorei's abdomen, whispering in his ear that he was no match for an all-powerful being like himself. However, the Arrancar's grin soon turned into a gaze of despair and incomprehension, as Sorei reached out for the blade and shattered it with a single grip. The Arrancar could only stare in awe at Sorei who, as his stabbing wound instantly regenerated, decapitated the hollow hybrid with a devastating spiritual blast. Leaving the mangled corpse carelessly behind, Sorei continued his way into the center of the fortress, strangely enough without encountering any further hindering figures. When he reached the center, all he could find was a strange, gaping of whirling, torrential energy which looked unlike anything he had encountered before. Even though he had no actual desire to, something within his mind assured himself to touch the tunnel and see it's effects. Once he had performed the latter, the black energy suddenly engulfed him, like a tight suit, and he was once again thrown through the whims of the space/time continuum, reminiscent of his birth. The Human World Synopsis Powers & Abilities : Harboring the energy of thousands of years of absorption of spiritual techniques and abilities, it is said that Sorei's spiritual influence simply can no longer be measured within Shinigami terms. Although incapable of harboring and manipulating the immense powers stored within him, Sorei's aura is one terrifying enough to bring down some of the most vicious opponents to their knees. Throughout the series, the color of this aura has varied greatly, depending on what abilities he had recently "found", although blue seems to always lie a definite undertone. Sorei's reiatsu is unlike any other, due it's mixed composure, and he has used it for a wide variety of attacks, such as illusion-casting, erecting barriers, hardening his skin, binding opponents etc. The relase of his spiritual aura commences an enormous shockwave which was capable of travelling hundreds of miles within Hueco Mundo, ripping apart any within the affected area. Enhanced Speed: Sorei appears to make use of an unknown form of speed enhancement, which seems to leave an afterimage behind everytime he moves, which shatters like glass several seconds later, similar to the illusions animated by . Not only is Sorei using this technique able to outstrip an Espada-level opponent, the shattering afterimage provides a distraction he can take valuable profit of. Sorei can also generate a clone-like effect by moving extremely rapidly across the battlefield, creating such a confusion the opponent is unlikely to spot his real self. Enhanced Strength: Due the thousands of years of experience, Sorei's finesse is at an absolute peak. He can effortlessly crush an Espada's zanpakutō to bits with one hand, even if the said blade has been stabbed through his abdomen. During his fight with the , he could swatter away Kidō in the sixties without seemingly any damage nor effort, and let several lieutenants' Shikai willingly collide with his body, resulting in their zanpakutō broken and their bodies scarred from the backlash. Keen Intellect: On various occasions, Sorei noted himself to be a very perceptive combatant, figuring out the mechanics behind complicated techniques in a minimal set of uses and then effectively utilizing this knowledge to aid him in further battle. While not a genius, he has shown a great sense of improvisation and adaption, able to deal fairly well when encountered with unforeseen hindrances. The initiate coldness and apathy sterning from his racial offspring allows him to keep his head "clean" of emotions and personal feelings, allowing him to fully focus on the battle at hand and the mannerisms of the opponent. "Suppressed" Mawari: (抑制廻り, Yokusei Mawari; literally "Suppressed Pilgrimage"): Sorei is the first Kyohi ever to be able to control his Mawari to an extent. Mawari is commonly viewed as the "retribution" of a Kyohi, and occurs whenever a Kyohi uses a technique or ability he attained using Sōsaku. It causes whatever part of the body and soul that is associated with that ability to crystallize, rendering it useless for a certain period of time. However, Sorei has mastered this process, instead negating the effects on his body and encasing certain parts of his soul in permanent crystal, which he deems "useless". Because Mawari is an automatic process set to keep a Kyohi within it's "pathway to desire", this must mean Sorei has attained complete awareness of his destined "goal". Sorei still isn't impervious to the side-effects of Mawari, which decreases his overall battle performance and his ability to use multiple "found" techniques in succession. Sōsaku After thousands of years of wandering on residence within multiple spiritual planes, Sorei's array of techniques is seemingly limitless. Nevertheless, he had to give up on a large portion of them in order to satisfy his Mawari. How much abilities he can actually access is unknown, but his arsenal incorporates powers of almost every race, grantng Sorei a versatility unlike anyone else. Known techniques include: *' :' The first technique Sorei "found", and one that remained his signature move during the first few stages of his life. He attained it after an used it against him in a moment of rage, which ultimately let to his own demise when Sorei used it to blow the Adjuchas into pieces. He has shown to fire it without speed and power to incarnate an Espada-level opponent by surprise. Sorei commonly fires this technique from his dominant hand. His Cero has commonly been blue through the largest part of his life, but this has varied, just like the color of his reiatsu. *' '(Formerly): A power Sorei picked up from an during his last moments within Hueco Mundo. He used it to heal the stabbing wound inflicted by the latter's , after the Arrancar had used it to regenerate the damage to his arm from Sorei's Cero. He hasn't been seen using it since, and it is speculated he discarded for other abilities through Mawari. *'Shūgokyōku Transformation' (守護鏡区, Mirror Protection District); Not Yet Revealed Quotes Behind the Scenes